Little Jack
by JackGywer
Summary: Jack O'Neill is drastically rejuvenates by an alien device.While Dr. Janet Fraiser takes care of the young man,his team tries to find a way to reverse it.Unfortunately,they do not have much time,as Janet finds out.Janet has fallen in love with a pediatrician,who soon realizes that something is wrong with the little guy.Will Sg-1 find a way to help Jack?
1. Chapter 1

When the wormhole finally dissolves and the iris closes, all eyes in the gateroom are on three figures standing on the ramp. Major Samantha Carter holds a screaming bundle in her arms, wrapped in a grey blanket. General Hammond steps onto the ramp and looks questioningly into the faces of the three members of SG_1.

"What happened? Where did this baby come from? And where is Colonel O'Neill? "he asks.

"I'm saying this really reluctant general, but ..." Sam says.

"This is Jack," Daniel interrupts, pushing his glasses slightly higher, pointing to the screaming bundle. He looks as if he is aggravated, not only at the bundle but at the circumstances also.

"What?" The general cries.

"Daniel Jackson is correct, General Hammond. The child is O'Neill" says Jaffa Teal'c.

Dr. Frasier, head of SGC's medical department and Samantha Carter's best friend, looks shocked as she looks at Sam. Janet goes to Sam and takes the roaring child out of her arms. General Hammond looked at the child in Dr. Frazier's arms and then looked at Janet.

"I need a full evaluation, Doctor. I need to know for sure that is Colonel O'Neill and that whatever is wrong with him is not contagious"

"Yes Sir, General" Janet answered her commanding officer.

The general then informed SG1 that the debriefing would be in one hour. He wants to know as soon as possible what happened.

"Well, let's look at you, little man. Yes, you are cold. I would cry, too" Janet whispers lovingly at the little one she has in her arms.

She takes the weeping child, wraps him in another blanket, and takes him to the infirmary. Samantha Carter asks would it be alright if she accompanied the doctor and Janet does not mind. She can see how worried Sam is as she watches her. Sam is not paying anyone attention except for the crying baby in Janet's arms.

"Do you think he's all right Janet? He's been screaming the whole time" she asks anxiously.

"I think so Sam. We will see after I evaluate him"

The two women take care of the child. After Janet has taken his blood, the little boy cries even more vigorously. It takes a while to calm him down.

"Oh, yes, you do not like that. I know. But it has to be done" She smiles at him.

The little one looks at her frowning with his big brown eyes. The tears still stand in his eyes. Suddenly he smiles.

"Look Sam, he can also laugh"

Janet hides her face behind his patient card and then suddenly looks out again.

"Cuckoo" she calls.

The little man laughs aloud. Repeatedly. He laughs with all his heart. This is so contagious that Sam must laugh too. After a few minutes, Jack rubs his eyes.

"I think he is tired. We should put him to bed. Maybe he'll sleep a bit" Janet suddenly says.

They have wrapped the baby in a few blankets, a smaller blanket serves as a diaper. Janet looks around the room and shakes her head. The infirmary is not designed for a baby. Tomorrow she and Sam will have to get some things for the little one if he is not back to being his ornery grown self by then. For tonight however, they put him in a bed and one of the nurses sits on the bed and looks out for the child, so the little one does not fall out of bed. It only takes a few minutes and his eyes are getting smaller and smaller. Little Jack is soon fast asleep.

Janet and Sam are now on the way to the conference room, the debriefing has already started.  
General Hammond is sitting at the head of the table as usual, Dr. Frasier and Major Carter are sitting on his left, while Doctor Daniel Jackson and Teal'c sit on the other side. The general looks questioning to the members of Sg1.  
"Major, what in God's name took place?"

"Well sir, we found an unknown device in a cave on PX 559-07" she explains.

"And Jack could not keep his fingers off it, even though I tried to warn him" Daniel says.

"And then a bright light appeared, which blinded us all. When we could see again, the baby was sitting on the uniform that Colonel O'Neill had previously worn"

"Doctor Frasier? Can you tell us anything? Do you have the slightest idea what may be happening here?"

"Well Sir, the child is a healthy, strong boy around 8 months old. Whether it is the Colonel, I cannot say yet. The results are not back yet. The little man is now at the infirmary and is sleeping for the time being"

Sam asked the question that had been bothering her since they came back from the planet.

"Sir, what will happen to him?"

"I have no answer to that."

"If the NID get wind of this, they will attempt to take him away." Daniel stated, knowing it was the truth. Janet was quick to come to a solution.

"He cannot stay here anyway, the SGC is not a place for a baby. If you will allow it sir, I'd take him home. "

"That would be the best for him. Thank you doctor" he says.

"Sir, we should perhaps try to get in touch with our allies. Maybe they can help us." Sam suggested.

"Then do that, Major! The sooner the better." The General stated as he started to stand.

"Yes sir," Sam confirms, and sets off at once.

Meanwhile, the phone rings in General Hammond's office. He goes to his desk and picks up the phone. He hears only terrible roar.

"Doctor, I believe it is for you." he calls into the conference room.

Janet takes the receiver from the General and listens. It is one of the nurses working in the infirmary where they had left Little Jack. In the background, she hears the baby screaming.

"All right, I'll be right there." she says, finishing the conversation.

"I have to go sir. The little one cannot be calmed, he is very frightened. By the way, the test results have come in. The child actually is Colonel Jack O'Neill. I just hope the Asgard or the Tok'ra have a way to help him sir. "

"I can only hope that, also Doctor. And if you need something, please contact me. That child should go wanting for nothing. "

"Thanks sir!"

Janet rushes down the corridor as quickly as possible. When she reaches the doors to the infirmary, she can already here Little Jack, screaming as loud as possible. Besides the fact you cannot understand him, Janet knows now that he is Jack O'Neill. The tempers match to a tee.

"Well, what do we have here? Why is our little man shouting like that? Are we unhappy?" Janet looks at Little Jack, a smile on her face.

The nurse who had been watching the infant, actually sighed in relief. There was no doubt from her actions that she was happy that Janet had come to retrieve the baby.

"He's been screaming for quite a while and nothing seems to soothe him. He drank a bottle of milk, very hastily, and spat half of it out. After that, he was not at all calm." The young nurse answered Janet's unasked question and then attempted to move hastily away, just in case Janet called on her again to babysit.

Janet wrapped the baby tightly in a blanket and takes it in her arm. Little Jack lays his head on her shoulder, tears still coming down his wet cheeks.

"Impatient and loud, no doubt you're our Jack O'Neill." she grins. "Making my nurses despair, this is not nice Jack. We've talked about it before. "

Jack calms down slowly and looks at Janet with his big, brown eyes. She can even elicit a smile from him.

"You're doing so great, Doctor," the nurse remarks enthusiastically.

"The secret is peace, patience and lots of love." she laughs.

Samantha Carter enters the conference room again to report to General Hammond, she has sent a message to the Asgard and the Tok'ra.

"Then let´s only hope that one of the two can help Jack." says the General. Then he proceeds to inform Sam of the latest news from Janet.

Sam never had any doubt that the child was the Colonel. Looking at Teal'c, she could tell he agreed with her sentiment.

"And if we return to the planet and look around again?" The Jaffa suggests.

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Teal'c. We cannot use more babies here." says the General.

"Understand." The Jaffa replies nodding.

"We should wait to see what the Asgard or Tok'ra know about this device. To make sure it is safe." says Sam.

"I'm reluctant to say it, but this time I share the same opinion. Although I would love to return to the planet to look at this device more closely. But I have no desire to come back as a drooling baby again." Daniel replies.

"We will wait until we have heard from one of our allies. You are dismissed!" General Hammond stated in an exasperated voice.

Sam immediately makes her way to the infirmary. As she goes through the door, Janet is attempting to exit and they almost collide. Laughing at each other, they both apologize. "I just wanted to get some coffee. Will you come with me?" Janet askes her dear friend.

Both go to the cafeteria and get a hot coffee. They sit down at a small table.

"God, what a disaster!" Snaps the doctor.

"Stressed?" Asks Sam

"A baby is already exhausting, but our Colonel as a baby is really indescribable. The little fellow brings my nurses to the edge of a nervous breakdown." Janet grins

"But he's just a normal baby, isn't he?" Sam asks, surprised.

"Yes, but with distinctive features, which the Colonel has. We both know that the Colonel is very impatient, restless, disagrees a lot, which in this case would be scream a lot, and obviously does not need much sleep, "she says, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Sounds like Colonel O'Neill," Sam laughs. "If I can help you Janet, just say it." She suggests to Janet.

"Thank you Sam. Are there any responses from the Asgard or the Tok'ra yet?" The doctor wants to know.

"Not yet. I hope soon,"says Sam.

After drinking the coffee, they go back to the infirmary.

It's late, Janet takes little Jack and is heading home. At home, she is immediately attacked by her daughter Cassandra at the door.

"Mom, a baby? Is it going to stay with us? Where does it come from?" Asks the excited child.

Janet tells her daughter where the child comes from, or who the baby is. Cassie cannot believe it.

"This is Colonel Jack? Do we keep him? Is he my brother then? I think I'll call him Little Jack." The statements rush out of the child.

"Cassie slow down, we hope we can help him and he will be the old Colonel O'Neill again. But as long he is a baby then he stays with us." Janet answered to the child's delight.

"Cool." Calls the enthusiastic child.

Janet is not so sure if Cassandra will find it cool when Little Jack first wakes up and shows off his "best" side. She is a bit worried. She is brought out of her thoughts by the ringing of the doorbell, it's Sam. She did a few errands for Janet. Cassandra greets Sam and helps her carry the bags of items in the house.

"A few men and women from the SGC have also donated baby things, from their own children. Sargent Siler will be by to bring the stuff. There is also a baby bed. Everyone was immediately helpful when they learned about the incident." The scientist tells Janet.

"That's great," the doctor rejoiced.

Suddenly both ladies here loud screaming coming from the living room, where Janet left the baby seat with Little Jack in it.  
Sam goes to the child and takes it out of the baby seat. The little one roars and roars. Janet immediately makes him warm milk, since the little man seems to be hungry. Cassie comes running at once and looks curiously as her mother prepares the bottle. Janet gives Sam the ready bottle and asks her to feed Jack while she mashes some ingredients to make the little one some food.  
Sam hands Little jack the bottle, the little one quickly grabs it and begins to suck it, too hastily. He looks as if he is going to swallow the entire bottle. Janet tells Sam to put the bottle down when he drinks too hastily. When Sam listen to her friend and takes the bottle away, Little Jack does not like it at all. He roars like a lion. The game continues until the bottle is almost empty. Then she lifts the howling child up to her shoulder and begins to pat his back. At that moment, the little guy spits out half of the milk, right over Sam's shoulder on her blouse and the kitchen floor.

Cassie just shouts "Ugh!."

In the middle of the confusion, the doorbell rings.

"That too!" groans Janet.

"Surely it is Sargent Siler with the baby things". Janet thinks.

She sends Cassie to the door while she tries to help Sam and the screaming child. Cassie opens the door and Sargent Siler comes in carrying baby items and a basinet. Behind him stands General Hammond with a large box in his arm.

"As I see, we are just in time." says the General, taking the screaming child from the doctor's arms.

Janet nods with thanks and pulls Sam into the bathroom. Then Janet comes back and cleans the kitchen floor, while the General tries to give the child a few spoonsful of porridge. Little Jack fidgets around impatiently on his lap, batting the spoon several times. With frustration, he turns crimson and screams even more. General Hammond grabs the little one and puts him in front of him on the kitchen table. He looks at him sternly:

"Young man! That is quite enough or we will not be friends!" The General states in a strict and decisive tone.

The little one looks at him with wide eyes and suddenly he is quite calm. General Hammond takes the spoon and drives it through the air, making the sound of a plane engine before he stops in front of Little Jack's mouth. The little one opens his mouth and the general slides the spoon into the child's mouth. General Hammond continues to feed Little Jack this way until the plate with the mash is empty. Jack laughs at him. The General also smiles.

"You do very well sir." says Janet.

"I had enough exercise, doctor. And in the process of feeding a child, I have learned I can also pilot a plane." he winks at Janet.

Then he gets up and takes Little Jack into the living room. The little one seems to be very happy, for the first time that day.  
Meanwhile, Janet cleaned the kitchen again and Sam washed himself and got fresh clothes from her friend. Although the shirt is a bit short, but clean. She decides to help Sergeant Siler with the bed. Janet quickly puts together a little food for everyone, since General Hammond is keeping Little Jack happy and occupied.  
While Cassie and the adults are eating, the child sits on the General's lap and observes the sights in front of him. Janet has not seen him so calm and relaxed since he came through the gate.  
After eating, Jack rubs his eyes. Janet decides to bath the young man and then put him in his bed. Cassie wants to help her mother to bathe Little Jack. After the bath, the little man is so tired that his eyes are already falling. She quickly dresses him for bed in the white sleeping suit from the crate. It fits him perfectly, even if pink horses are on it Janet is not worried, she knows Little Jack will forgive her.  
After she has laid the child down, she goes back into the kitchen to clean up. But her friends have already done this. They all say goodbye, and Janet puts Cassie to bed before she sinks herself into her bed. Satisfied, little Jack sleeps in his bed next to Janet.  
In the middle of the night she wakes up, noticing that the baby is restless and starting to cry softly. Before he can really get started, she takes him out of his bed and holds him in her arms. Not wanting her daughter to awake since Cassie has school tomorrow morning. Then Janet realizes that Little Jack is pulling his legs tightly.

"Little man, do you have stomach pain? I am not surprised, not the way you have been eating your food." she whispers.

She takes Jack and puts him next to her on the bed and massages his little tummy. But it does not help much. He screams and pulls his legs. Janet tries to calm him. Trying to bring the child some relief, she begins to walk around her room with him. Cassandra, of course, also wakes up and comes into Janet's room to see what is going on.

"What is wrong with him, mom?" The child asks her mother, trying to cover a yawn.

"Belly pain, Cassie. I'm sorry he woke you up." she says affectionately.

"That is ok. He is hurting so bad, mom, I think I am going to cry." she says with a dark expression. Janet cannot help but smile. She tries to hide it beside Little Jack's neck.

"Yes you are right, he is in a lot of pain. Now lie down again and try to sleep, tomorrow is school."

"Yes Mom."

As she says goodnight again, she gives the screaming Jack a kiss.

"I love you Little Jack," she says through tears as she walks to her bedroom.

Janet laughs loudly. God, I have a great daughter, she thinks. Then she devotes herself to the little one again. After another hour of shouting by Jack and Dr. Frasier's soothing comfort, the child and Janet both fall into an exhausted sleep.

The alarm clock rings far too early for Janet's taste. She jumps up and looks down at the bed next to her. Jack is still asleep with his thumb in his mouth. Janet grins to herself. Colonel O'Neill jerks his thump to keep it from getting caught on the sleeve of the sleeping suit with pink horses on it. "I think he would kill me if I tell someone", the doctor thinks to herself. Janet is surprised that the sleeves of his sleep suit are so long that his hand has completely disappeared.  
After she takes a shower and sets the table with breakfast, she wakes her daughter, who also looks completely exhausted from her eyes. At breakfast, neither say a word, being able to do nothing but yarn. Then it's time for school. Janet says goodbye to Cassandra and then goes to get the baby. Little Jack moves slowly in his bed and then opens his eyes. Janet smiles at him. He looks at her with wide eyes and smiles at her as well.

"Good morning Jack. Have you slept well? "She greets him as she takes him out of bed.

Suddenly she looks at him in surprise. The sleep suit is much too big, the sleeves and legs much too long. Janet does not understand how this has happened.

"I could have sworn this nightgown fit you last night. That's the main reason I chose this one." she says, almost apologetically, to the child.

"Perhaps it didn't fit and I was too tired to notice it." she says.

She takes him to the kitchen and makes him breakfast, but the child refuses to eat. He turns his head away every time Janet comes with the spoon.

"Okay, Jack. Then no breakfast." she says lovingly to him, stroking his head.

Jack laughs at her joyfully, mouth open widely and Janet noticed something. At first she thinks she's wrong, but when she looks again, her observation is confirmed.

"What's going on here? Why do you suddenly have just five teeth now?"  
Janet cannot believe it and feels with her fingers in his mouth. But she had not deceived herself. What is going on here? Janet puts Little Jack back in the suit from yesterday and she cannot believe her eyes – it to is hanging off him. Why was he so small – and getting smaller it seemed?

"What the hell ..." She curses to herself.

Little Jack looks at her with wide eyes. Then he frowns. This looks so funny that Janet must laugh. She pulls him tightly to her.

"Everything is alright, little one. No reason for you to worry." Janet tells him but inside her own head she is worried. Then she calls Sam and sounds quite excited when she asks Sam to meet her at the SGC.

"Is something happening Janet? What about Jack? "She asks.

"Yes ... no, I do not know!" She stammered as panicky.

Half an hour later the two women meet at the infirmary. Sam started to greet with a good morning but what actually came out was "God, Janet, you look so bad. Had a bad night?"

"Too little sleep," she admits to her friend and pours herself some coffee.

"Jack had a stomachache and cried half the night," she says yawning, brushing the disheveled hair right.

"But that's not why I called you, Sam."

Janet describes Jack's changes and watches Sam's reaction. The scientist cannot believe what she hears.

"What do you mean, Janet?" She asks anxiously.

The doctor admits she has not got an answer. She goes with Sam over to one of the beds where the nurse is waiting with the whining child. Janet examines Jack as carefully as she did the day before when they came through the gate. Then she compares the results.

"Oh, I just do not believe it! Jack is two inches smaller than yesterday, one pound lighter and has lost a tooth! If I compare his development with that of yesterday, he would be around four weeks younger!"

"What? This is not possible Janet. Or is it? But how?" Sam asks more than surprised.

"I have no explanation for this, but if I have learned something in the years, that nothing is impossible, especially when it comes to SG1."

"What does that mean?" The scientist wants to know.

"I am not as smart as you are Sam when it comes to scientific anomalies, perhaps we should tell the General what has transpired her." Janet suggests, looking a little apprehensive.

Just at that moment there was an alarm and they hear the announcement that it is an unscheduled activation. They rush straight into the control room, where General Hammond has already arrived.

"It is a Tokra identification code, Sir" Walter states to the General.

"Open the Iris!" General Hammond almost screams the command.

Then they all hurry into the gate room to see who came from the Tok'ra. Sam's father Jacob Carter and the scientist Anise step out of the event horizon onto the ramp. Jacob is quite surprised when he sees his daughter with a baby in her arms.

"Do you have something to tell me Sam?" He asks, somewhat confused.

Sam throws an all-seeing glance at him and smiles at him.

"Dad!"

They greet each other with a hug after Sam has pressed her friend Little Jack into Janet's arms.

"Nice to see you Dad. We need help and am hoping that you can help" the blonde explains to her father.

"What is it about this time? Your message was a little vague" the Tok'ra asks.

"About him!" Sam says, pointing to the baby.

Jacob is astonished.

"About the baby? What about the baby? Who is it?" He asks confused.

"Who it is is the problem Dad. The baby on Janet's arm is Colonel O'Neill. "

"What?" The Tok'ra asks, shaking his head.

"This is the Colonel?" Interrupts the Tok'ra Anise. "What happened, Major Carter?" She asks.

"This is a long story, let us discuss it in the conference room" The General interrupts them and leads the group into the conference room.

In the conference room, Sam describes the details of how the Colonel became the little fellow now sitting on Janet's lap. Jacob Carter becomes very excited and starts talking.

"We've heard of such a device. It is a legend per some of the Tokra. In any case, most thought it was just a tale. Obviously, there is some truth in it" he says disbelievingly.

"The legend says that this device brings back the youth" the scientist Anise interrupted him.

"Youth is good. But a drooling, crying, screaming brat that's what he is. Although that's not much different than what he is as an adult!" Daniel states, behind laughter.

For this remark, he catches icy glances from both Sam and Janet.

"Dr. Jackson!" The General rebukes him.

Daniel apologizes with a gesture. Janet describes her observations she made this morning.

"What do you mean by that, Doctor Frasier? Jack is developing even further? Until what?" Jacob asks the question before General Hammond could.

"I do not know, Jacob" she says.

"What could happen?" Asks Sam.

"He would not be around any longer" she says sadly.

"He would just die?" Sam asks, shocked.

"The organs would slowly stop working until there would be nothing left. The Colonel would no longer be able to perform any functions at all."

"What?" The General shouts.

"That's just a guess, sir! I do not know what is going on with him or what will happen to him if we cannot reverse this."

Little Jack sits on Janet's lap and sucks on his fingers. All eyes are fixed upon him.

"Janet, he's drooling. I mean it's running out of his mouth on your pants" Daniel says, a little disgusted at the sight.

Janet takes Little Jack and pushes him towards Daniel. Daniel refuses to take him at first, but Janet does not tolerate any refusal.

She wipes her pants clean, while Daniel holds the little man gently over his face, in the air and just wants to say something ...

"Jack, you're really ..."

Janet calls out "I would not do that Daniel, he just ... .."

Just then, Jack spits his full breakfast on Daniel.

... eaten." groans the doctor.

Daniel screams disgusted and Little Jack screams, because he is frightened.

Janet takes him back and tries to calm him, but that is easier said than done. When Jack cries, he shouts, Janet has already learned this.

"Thank you Dr. Jackson," she says annoyed.

She takes the child and with General Hammond's permission she goes with the child to the infirmary. Dr. Jackson jumps up and runs out of the conference room to clean and change. The remaining guests remain seated and discuss the further procedure.  
Selmak finally begins to speak. She and Anise agree that it would be best to return to the planet to see the device closer. The general approved another mission to this planet.


	2. Chapter 2

After the details are discussed, Anis returns to Vorash to do a few things and make the travel arrangements. Jacob remains on earth with his daughter. They rarely spend time together and want to take advantage of the opportunity. Sam, with her thoughts, is quite somewhere else and does not even notice her father asking her a question. He looks at her with a worried look.

"Sam?"

"Sorry Dad, I was just thinking," confesses the young woman to her father.

"About Colonel O'Neill? I'm sure we'll find a solution to help him, "he says in a rock-solid voice, pulling his daughter into his arm.  
She enjoys the rare closeness to her father and presses firmly on him.  
Then she looks at him apologetically and Jacob takes the opportunity to conduct a small conversation with his daughter.

"Sam, I can imagine this is a tough situation for you. Just do not say anything, I'm neither blind nor dumb, my child. I see exactly how you two always look at each other. I hope you are wise enough, and know what you are doing or rather do not. Jack is a good man, but your superiors, child. Think about what is at stake for you! We'll try to do everything to help him, I promise you. And now, go and see for him. That's what you want. "

Sam sighed at his words, she'd never thought her affection for Jack O'Neill is so obvious.

"Thanks Dad," she says, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He nods at her and Sam immediately sets off for Janet to the infirmary. Jacob, on the other hand, takes the path to General Hammond's office. The general and he are good friends and Jacob hopes to be able to conduct a conversation privately with his friend.

Sam almost rushes into the hospital. Janet is in her office and telephoned. She waves Sam in and points to the chair in front of her desk. After she has finished the conversation, her friend teases her.

"Uh, love must be beautiful! Janet, when will I finally meet him, the dream prince? You do not hide him from me? "

"I want to have him alone for me," she laughs.

"Come, tell the truth Jan, he has three heads and only one eye."

"You're impossible Sam." She replies, gently biting her arm.

"He's coming back from a seminar tonight. For the first time he will stay with us. I'm so glad Cassie likes him. He can be so great with children, well, he is also a pediatrician. Cassie and I will be cooking for him tonight and then we'll watch a movie together. "It bubbles out of the doctor.

"Does he know about the baby?" Sam asks worried.

Her friend smiles at her.

"Not quite yet. On the phone I did not want to attack him now. I just told him that I have a guest at the moment. "

"A very tiring guest, I'd say." Sam laughs.

Janet lays her head slightly and smiles mildly. The two women talk for a while and then look for Little Jack, who keeps the nurses pretty busy.

"Are you crying again?" Janet groans as she approaches.

She grabs the young man and holds him in her eyes.

"Where is the problem, my friend? Just once again protest against the whole world? I think our Jack is a little tired and needs a nap. No wonder after this night! We two go home now, and keep a nap, sweetie, "she says, in a sweet yet stern tone.

The little one looks at her with his deep brown eyes and suddenly becomes quite still.

"God, you're just too cute, isn't it Major Carter? But we'd rather not tell you that too often, "the doctor whispered and winked at her friend.

Sam blushes slightly and hopes no one looks at her embarrassment.

After they have said good-bye to each other, Sam makes his way to find her father.  
Jacob Carter is still in General Hammond's office. Sam sees the two through the window in his office and both seem to discuss something. Sam never saw her father as wildly gesticulated as in this conversation. She just hopes it's not about her and Colonel O'Neill. But that would never bring her father up before her boss, would he? Maybe not in front of her boss, but maybe in front of his good friend? At the thought of the young woman is very queasy. She does not notice at all that Dr. Jackson is standing next to her.

"What is going on in this conversation?" The archaeologist wonders.

Sam just shrugs and says nothing else. Daniel puts on his glasses and looks at Sam.  
"Are you worried about Jack, Sam?"

"You not?" She asks.

"We'll bring him back to his normal form," he says confidently.

"Normal form? We're talking about Colonel O'Neill, Daniel. And not about an object, "she whispered angrily.

Daniel shrugs, startled, apologizing for his speech.

"Where is he at all, the pouting scream?" Asks Daniel.

Sam gives the young man a bitter-eyed look. Daniel nearly shudders and looks ashamed at his feet.

"Sorry Sam, but I can not stand babies and they do not me either," he whispers.

Sam smiles at him and gives him a little slap.

"You're just imagining this, Daniel. Dr. Fraiser went home with the Colonel. He was tired and quivering. "

Before Daniel can release a comment, Sam looks at him admonishingly.

"Just do me a favor Sam, do not always talk about the Colonel, if you mean the baby, that sounds strange."

"Okay, you're right Daniel," admits she.

At that moment, General Hammond's door opens and Jacob Carter and General Hammond come out. Both laugh and are in a good mood. The General says good-bye to everyone and goes back to his office. Then Sam sees that he takes the red phone and dials a number. She has a queasy feeling in the stomach.

"Sam, can we go now? I'd like to make something fresh and eat a bite, "Jacob asks.

"Of course Dad."

Sam and Jacob finally left the base. On the way home, the young woman is extremely quiet, which is also not hidden from her father. He hesitates, however, to start a conversation. Suddenly, he lowers his head, his eyes light up and Selmac makes a statement.

"Major Carter, your father is worried about you. He can not hide it from me, but he can not handle it. I do not want to interfere, but it also weighs on our friendship. "

Sam does not know how to react to it and says nothing.

Meanwhile in the house of Janet Fraiser:

Little Jack is in his bed and has been sleeping peacefully for some time. Janet works in the kitchen and makes her first preparations for the planned dinner with her new love, the resident pediatrician Dr. Jeff Flowers. Both of them got to know and love at a medical congress. Cassandra has also closed the man into her heart right now, quite to Janet's relief.  
They have already undertaken a few joint activities before he is to stay overnight for the first time. Janet hopes that he will react just as positively to little Jack. She has already made a story of where the little one comes from and why he temporarily lives with also introduced the details to Cassie. After all, the man can not know the truth. Actually, she don't want to lie to her lover, but she has no other choice. After the preparations are finished, Jack is already noticeable. Initial quenching rapidly transcends into heartbreaking shouting. Janet rolled his eyes.

"No sparks of patience, typical Jack O'Neill." it slips out of her.

After she took him out of bed, the little rogue smiles at her.

"Really, you little crook, you!" Janet laughs.

She presses the laughing boy to herself and gives him a kiss on the head.

"I would not have thought I'd would kiss Jack O'Neill," she giggles to herself.

After the boy is awake, it is up to Cassie to keep the young man in a good mood. Janet tries to do everything in the remaining time. She is so tired that she could sleep smoothly while standing. Even Cassandra can hardly look out of her eyes.  
Little Jack, on the other hand, seems to be fit like a sneaker after his short nap and calls on Cassie's attention. The girl struggles to do everything to his satisfaction, so that he does not become restless again and intercepts to cry. The whole thing works for about half an hour, then Jack suddenly starts to scream.

"Mom, Jack is crying again!" The child calls desperately.

As if I did not hear it, Janet thinks and hurries into the living room, where Cassie with Little Jack lies on a ceiling and tries to distract him with a few toys.

"He's hungry," Janet says to her daughter, kidnapping the screaming and struggling child.

In the kitchen she puts him in the high chair and stirs the milk. With loud shouting and impatience, he runs up crimson and Janet loses her patience, goes to the bathroom and yells out loudly. She is close to tears. After a few minutes, she caught herself again and went back to the kitchen as if nothing had happened. Jack is still screaming in his chair. She remains quite calm, takes him out of the high chair and tries to give him the milk. After some to and fro, the fidgeting child drinks his milk quickly and calms down slowly. After being saturated, he bravely babbles and smiles at the doctor. She can not help but take the child tightly in her arm and cuddle. At times Janet Fraiser feels a bit overwhelmed. The unaccustomed deprivation of sleep is badly conceded to her, she must admit. Nevertheless, these are moments that give you indescribable feelings of happiness. Deep inside her, Janet longs a long time for a baby. She loves her adoptive daughter, like her own child, she always calls her, as her child. Nevertheless, she would like to have her own child with a man whom she loves. That is what most women dream of. At the moment, however, she is not sure if she would bear this in the long run. Today she feels indescribably old. The doorbell rips her out of her thoughts. This will be Jeff. Excited, like a young school girl, she goes to the door. On the way to the front door, she puts the baby back on the crawling blanket and pushes a rattle into his little hand. With big eyes, Jack looks at the rattling toy and chuckles at every noise of the rattle. Janet smiles at him and then quickly opens the door.

Immediately she rushes into the arms of the handsome man at the door and hugs him strongly while she squeezes him a long passionate kiss.

She pulls him into the house and closes the door. Dr. Jeff Flowers grabs the little doctor and returns her kiss.

"I missed you infinitely," he whispers between two kisses.

"And I first," she laughs.

The doctor looks at his girlfriend and frowns.

"You look tired Janet! Are you all right? "He asks anxiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine Jeff. I have told you about my temporary guest. He's stealing my sleep. "She grins and leads the astonished man into the living room, where Little Jack still fascinates admire his rattling rattle.

The doctor is surprises when he sees the little boy.

"May I introduce you to Jack," she says cautiously.

She tells him that Jack is a child of a resident Air Force officer who is currently missing and she takes care of Jack until the father is back. Jeff is more than impressed by her care for the strange child and her magnanimity. Even more reasons to love this woman are his first thoughts.

He bends down to Jack and crawls him on his tummy. Jack's eyes went quite large and in a reflex he hits his rattle against the man's head. For a moment, it is totally silent until Jeff breaks out into laughter. Little Jack still looks at him with big eyes and does not know whether he should laugh or cry, then begins to laugh heartily.

"I'd say you passed the sympathy test, Dr. Flowers," Janet laughs.

Cassie has now noticed that Jeff has come and is also running. She almost stumbles into his arms. He catches the young girl and whirls them around. Janet loves to see how well the two understand each other. She has also fallen a stone from the heart, which Jack has responded so well to him. He has so far only reacted positively to a few male persons. Jeff is a natural talent, which affects children, she thinks half grinning.

While Janet cover the table for dinner with Cassie, Jeff takes care of the little one.

"So you're the reason why my Janet is so tired? Not that this becomes a habit to me, little fellow. We do not want her to get rings under her eyes, right? Such a great woman needs her beauty sleep, you have to know. I can teach you a few things about women, if you want that, "jokes the doctor, while he has the boy in his lap and looks into his eyes.

Jack almost stares at him and listens attentively. It almost seems as if he understands what the man tells him. Janet almost laughs and grabs serious looks from her lover.

"Do you have any objection, dear?" He asks.

"You guys, really believe you know about us women, right? Do not dare tell him any stories, "she giggles.

Cassie rolls her eyes.

"Why are you always so silly when you have been together?" she asks bluntly.

"Are we?" Janet giggles again.

"Sam says this is so when you are in love."

"Does she say that? Well, she's kind of right. You'll even know that yourself, "says her mother.

"Yuck!" Replied Cassandra.

"Wait," the doctor calls, grabbing her daughter to tickle her.

A short time later, they all sit together at the table, like a real small family. Janet is just happy and would like this moment never to end. They talk all the time, and even little Jack sits contentedly in his chair and nibbles a piece of bread. Somehow, Janet can not believe her happiness to have found such a great man, he seems so perfect. There are almost tears in her eyes and she must realize that her tiredness makes her only more sentimental.

Jack suddenly yawns heartily. Janet decides to bathe him and then take him to his bed so they can watch the movie Cassie has chosen.

After she has bathed him, she goes into the living room, so Cassie can Jack still give a kiss. She pushes him a fat kiss on the cheek and wishes him a good night and beautiful dreams. His eyes are already falling. Jeff stretches out his hand and hits Jack's hand lightly on his.

"Good night buddy! And do not let the bugs bite you, "he jokes.

Janet pushes him lovingly to him and sings him a little sleepy before she puts him in his bed. Jack's eyes are already closed as she extinguishes the light and leaves the room.

Jeff and Cassie made popcorn in the time and put the film in. With a good glass of wine, the two lovers will enjoy the evening with Cassandra. The girl is visibly tired and it does not take long and she lies sleeping with her head on her mother's lap. Janet is also almost falling at sleep..

"I think it's time for bed, ladies." says Jeff Flowers after a while.

He kisses Janet on the forehead, stands up from the couch and carries the little Cassandra into her room. She does not even wake up when her mother is change her clothes.

After a while Janet and Jeff are also in bed. Jack sleeps peacefully in the childbed next to them. Jeff kisses Janet passionately.

They lie cuddled in their bed and it does not take long before Janet sleeps. Jeff is still awake a little while before he succumbs to sleep.

A few hours later, little Jack begins to squirm restlessly in his bed. It does not take long and he murmurs miserably. The whimpering goes on quickly in tears. The doctor is terrified and takes a moment to realize what is going on. Even her friend is already sitting in bed and rubbing his eyes tiredly. The baby is completely sweaty. Janet takes him to her bed.

"Have you badly dreamed little man?" She asks quietly.

Jack trembles properly and his small body is completely tense. She wonders how much of Jack O'Neill's memories are in Little Jack. She would rather not know. Apparently the poor child had a bad dream. Jack can not calm down and Janet is just as helpless as she should only calm him. Suddenly, Jeff takes the little one off and puts him on the blanket in front of him. He pulls him out and asks Janet to take his bag. While Janet looks for the bag in the corridor, Jack roars. Suddenly she hears Jeff:

"What for heaven's sake?" He almost cries.

Janet runs back to the bedroom, frightened, and sees what frightened the man. Damn, she forgot. The man sits with tears in his eyes before the weeping child and just shakes his head incredulously. Janet sits beside him and puts her hand on his shoulder. The shocked man takes his bag and takes out a small bottle and rubs his hands with it, then starts to massage the small, screaming Jack. After a short time, the child becomes calm and his small body becomes relaxed. Jack seems to enjoy it and after a while his eyes were closed. Jeff stands up without a word and disappears for a while in the bathroom. Janet puts the little man back in his bed and covers him lovingly. Then she waits patiently until Jeff is back.

"Who did this, Janet?" He asks quietly, barely audible.

Janet can see how shocked he is. She wished she could tell him the truth and that it was not as it seems. But she can not!

"I'm sorry Jeff, I just did not think about it. I should have warned you, "says Janet guiltily.

"You must not apologize. You did not do this to him. What kind of monster does it do? I just can not understand such things. Was it his father? Then maybe it's better for him if he does not come back! "Jeff says angrily.

Janet would like to explain to him from where Jack has all the scars that adorn his little body. But she can not. And she can understand his anger, just as things seem.

"Jeff, believe me it's better if you do not know too much. Only so much, his father has nothing to do with it. You have to believe me. Jack's doing well. "

"He's fine? Janet, he is not doing well, you have seen that he is not doing well. Or? "He whispers.

"Jeff, I do not know what to say ..." she says sadly.

He takes his girlfriend tenderly in the arm and kisses her.

"Let's sleep, we'll talk about it again tomorrow," he suggests.

Janet cuddles up to him and they lie arm in arm in bed. She is annoyed by the way things have gone, and she still thinks for a while about how to explain it to him only plausibly. Jeff hardly comes to rest, what he has seen makes him just incredibly angry and sad. At some point, both sleep again.  
With the first rays of sunshine, Little Jack begins to loll in his bed. Some time later, he is awake and cheerfully cheers. Janet groans and turns to the other side. Jeff is also already awake and decides to stand up.

He bends over Janet, gives her a kiss and whispers into her ear:

"Stay a little bit longer, I'll take care of our guest."

Janet smiles in half sleep.

"Thank you sweetheart."

Jeff takes the little boy out of bed.

"Come on, we'll take care of breakfast for our ladies. Women must be pampered. At least until you have won her heart. "

At that moment a pillow has flown in his direction. Jack looks surprised behind the pillow and frowns.

"Remember, little one, if women have not slept well, do not joke with them," he jokes and puts Jack on his stomach on his arm and flies with him through the apartment towards the kitchen. The little boy is happy with joy.

Janet is lying in bed, thinking only what a great man she has fished. She can not help but grin at herself.

From the kitchen a wonderful scent penetrates through the whole house. Janet drags out of bed and floats towards the kitchen. There she sees Jeff and Jack working at the kitchen table. Jack sits in his high chair and is dusted with flour. When Jeff sees his girlfriend, he shines over both cheeks and knocks his fists on his chest.

"The men have made breakfast!" He shouts.

Jack looks at Janet with his dusty face and laughs at her. She can not help laughing heartily.

"Oh God, I hope the men do it all again clean!" She laughs.

After Cassie woke up, there was breakfast. She is very enthusiastic about the homemade rolls and the delicious scrambled eggs. She wonders about the restrained mood at the table and asks what happened tonight.

"Did you wake up, darling? I'm sorry. Jack did dream badly, "she tells her daughter.

"Was he afraid?" The child asks.

"I'll guess,he had ,Cassie," her mother replies.

"It's no wonder," Jeff murmurs to himself.

"Not now Jeff and not before the kids," Janet whispers.

"Oh, nightmares can be really scary. I had many after my real mom died, "she says quite freely.

"I know my darling."

Jeff looks under himself, he has completely forgotten that Cassandra also had a terrible fate. He changes the subject with skill. Since today is Saturday, and they have the whole day for themselves, they decide to go to Cassandra's pleasure in the park. There is a fair with many attractions this weekend. Janet thinks that would do well for everyone. After they have finished and the children are already in the car, Jeff looks his beloved one deeply in the eyes and speaks quietly and quietly to her.

"I admire you so much, for your courage and strength Janet. To take a child with such a heavy blow of fate and to take care of another child who has certainly lived the hell on earth in his so short life. And I believe you, if you say I should rather not know everything. But I'm very close, you have to understand. Just because I work professionally with children and have seen a lot, but that really surpasses everything and I could cry when I think of it. You can believe me. But now let's give the kids a nice day. "

Janet says nothing at first, she is visibly moved over his open reaction and kisses him simply.

"I love you Dr. Jeff Flowers" is the only thing she gets out.


	3. Chapter 3

Meanwhile at the SGC, Jacob Carter and his daughter are already on the base, earlier than usual. Sam disappears into her lab to pack some things for her mission to the planet where her commanding officer was turned into a baby. She thinks with horror of the possibility that she will never see Jack O'Neill again. 'No, Sam, don't you dare think those thoughts. We'll find a way to get him back.'

"If it's the last thing I do!" she says aloud.

"Talking to yourself?" A voice called from the doorway.

Sam turns to look and sees Daniel standing in the doorway and he grins at her cheerfully. Sam smiles mildly back. Daniel then tells her that Freya has arrived, but has no significant new information about the device. In Tok'ra's records, a rejuvenation apparatus is mentioned, but always referred to as a legend. 'Yeah, that would be too good to be true' thinks the young scientist.  
Sam hopes that she will be able to find out more about the device. In the back of her head there is always the terrible thought that the time is running out. She would like to ask Janet about Little Jack this morning, if everything was okay with him, but she did not want to disturb the doctor. She knew that Janet had a visit from her new, big love over the weekend and she also knew that Jack was not sleeping through the whole night, which meant that Janet was not either.  
Daniel tears the young woman out of her thoughts again. It looks as if he knows what Sam thinks and puts a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"The little mucky pup is fine Sam. Janet takes good care of him and we should be fully focused on our mission now, don't you think? "

"You're right Daniel," she smiles.

Half an hour later, the two women and three men are ready to leave. Samantha Carter has the command on this mission, but is a bit nervous because her father is involved. He will surely keep a special eye on them. When the Wormhole establishes itself, General Hammond gives them a GO and wishes them much success. They immediately make their way up the ramp and disappear one by one into the event horizon. On the other side, they stumble one after another out of the gate. Daniel almost ran into Freya, who stopped suddenly. Thankfully Daniel can dodge her and comes to a complete stop beside her. Teal'c has already looked at the area around the gate more closely. It is indeed an uninhabited desert-like planet, but he intends to make sure it is safe. If they have learned one thing, it is always good to be vigilant. This has saved their lives often.

The cave, where they found the device, is half a day's walk from the gate. The footpath is a bit cumbersome. The whole planet consists only of sand and rocks; the sun is already high in the sky and very hot. After half of the way, they take a break. After the break, they realize that they need a little longer to reach the cave. The sun's warmth has once again gained strength and the path through the sand is getting more and more difficult. Daniel wipes his sweat from his forehead.

"Does anyone remember if it was this difficult the first time we came here?"

"It was not, Daniel Jackson" the Jaffa replies.

"The sun seems to be much closer to the planet than it was when we first came. If this continues, we need to hurry. I do not know how long we can survive here with the sun that close" Sam says.

"This is perhaps the reason why this device has not yet been found. Apparently, this planet cannot be found through the Stargate at all on certain days" says Jacob.

"If that is the reason, then we face a big problem. Janet has found out that Jack is slowly declining in age, however that is possible. If we cannot come back here soon ... "

Sam does not need to carry her thoughts any further, the rest of them know exactly what she wants to say.

"Let's have a look, Sam. First we should look at the device. We do not think about anything else until then" Jacob replies.

The rest of the way they are silent. After what seems like an eternity, they reach the cave. The pleasant coolness and darkness of the cave makes everyone visibly breathe. Daniel drops to his knees and throws the heavy backpack to the ground. The rest of the team also sit down for a few moments.  
After they rest for a moment, they begin to look around. Daniel shows Freya / Anise the device. Both agree quickly that it must be a device of the ancient. The characters on the machine indicate this. Carefully they try to look at the device closer. While they are trying to translate the characters, Sam, Teal'c, and Jacob are looking more closely at the rest of the cave. It seems quite deep in the mountain. On the first visit, they did not have the opportunity to look around, as Colonel O'Neill touched the machine shortly after entering the cave.  
Samantha Carter leads the small group; with a flashlight, she lights into the darkness of the corridors. Teal'c forms the rear guard. It is so dark that they cannot see their own hands before their eyes. After a while they see somewhere in the distance a light penetrating into the cave. They decide to take a closer look at this and Teal'c gives Daniel the message on the radio. Daniel confirms the message and tells Sam that Anise has already found something about this device, but it does not seem to make any sense. Per their translation, the device can only be activated by an Ancient.

"That can't be true. Colonel O'Neill just touched it and instantly activated it." Sam thinks aloud.

"I know that Sam, I was there." Daniel responds to Sam over the radio.

"I'm sure my translation is right, Dr. Jackson." states Anise self-confidently.

"Sam, we are still trying to translate the rest so we will see. If you find anything, give a call. Daniel Jackson out!"

Sam drops her radio and lights her companions with her flashlight. Both look just as puzzled as they feel.

The three continue their way through the dark passage and Sam's thoughts are back at Jack O'Neill, their commanding officer and her friend. She would give everything to see him as soon as possible. She loves this man, has indescribable feelings for him and he also has feelings for her, even if he would certainly not admit it openly. But she knows it. She feels it. This is all terribly complicated and sometimes she would like to throw everything away to be happy with him. She cannot help but wonder how he is right now ...

Janet and Jeff are with the kids in the park. Little Cassandra has lots of fun and is especially is happy to be out today. Little Jack sits in his baby carriage and looks happily at the red balloon that Cassie has tied to the stroller. When the balloon moves, the little fellow laughs cheerfully. After a lot of ice cream and numerous turns on the rides, Cassie wants to go to the pony rides and pulls her mother toward the horses. While they go to get a pony, Jeff sits down on a bench with little Jack and enjoys watching the action. Jack smiles happily as Jeff takes him out of the stroller.

"You are doing well today, my friend, aren't you?" says the man as he strokes Little Jack's head lovingly.

Jack looks at him with his big brown eyes and sucks on his fingers. Cassie is now sitting on one of the ponies and waves at the two sitting on the bench, when suddenly a terribly loud sound is heard. The pony is so frightened that suddenly it breaks loose and Cassie falls from the animal, directly on her left arm. She starts crying terribly. Her mother runs right up to her and Jeff is already on the way, after he quickly puts little Jack back into the baby stroller. Janet is with her daughter and comforts her when Jeff is suddenly beside her. In the corner of Janet's eye, she can see someone is just about to take the stroller and she panics, yelling for Jack. Jeff, realizing, what is going on, runs to the baby stroller that is parked just a few paces away.  
A black-clad man has grabbed the baby and tries to escape in the crowd of the park. Jeff does everything to catch up with the man who has pressed the terribly screaming child firmly into his arms. Jeff yells at the man and luckily other people react to his calls and try to stop the man. When the stranger realizes, he cannot get away with the child, the man pushes the crying baby into the arms of a woman who is completely astounded. Hoping to get rid of his persecutor, the man does not even stop but continues running.

Jeff, of course, stops immediately and takes little Jack into his arms. More people still persecute the perpetrator, but he unfortunately has escaped. Jeff pushes Jack close to his body and tries to calm the child. He begins to condemn himself with thoughts and questions, his mind heavy with disappointment in himself. Why did he just let the child out of his sight? He should know better! He quickly runs back to Janet and Cassandra to calm both down. Janet must be mad with concern for the child. After all, she has the responsibility for the little one. And Cassie is hurt.  
After a few minutes, he is back by Janet. Janet is so relieved when she sees him and the little one coming. She's close to tears, Jeff can see. Cassie sits sobbing, on her mother's lap. Jeff sits down with the baby next to the two and they try to calm each other. Meanwhile, Jack has calmed down and reaches for Janet. She presses him affectionately to her body and smiles. Just then, the ambulance finally reaches the scene of the accident.

Immediately they take care of Cassandra and bring the girl into the rescue vehicle. The police are also now on the scene to take a report of both the incident with the pony and the strange man trying to steal little Jack. While Janet is traveling with her daughter to the emergency room in the hospital, Jeff is supposed to take the car and Little Jack and meet her at the emergency room. When Janet hands the little man to Jeff, he begins to cry again. Initial sobbing quickly transcends into heartbreaking crying. The doctor finds it hard to leave the little one behind. She suppresses her own need to cry and quickly thinks about what is important now. And that's Cassie's health at this moment.  
Jeff Flowers continues to try to calm the screaming child while a police officer asks him some questions about the incident. After a few minutes Jeff can go and drives to the hospital. The policemen will follow as soon as they have received the testimony of the eyewitnesses. He can hardly concentrate to drive, because Little Jack cries the whole way. He thrashes in his seat and throws his head back and forth. If only Jeff knew how to soothe the little one. He is already to the point of bewilderment and decides to try to sing to the child.  
But that gives up quickly, because the little one cries only more. He is very happy when they finally arrive at the hospital and he can take the child out of the seat. But the physical proximity does not soothe Little Jack. On the contrary, he stiffens as Jeff pushes his head against his chest to give him security. He finally puts him back into the baby carriage and hopes the baby carriage movements will soothe him and maybe help him sleep.

Janet and Cassie are waiting in the emergency room for Cassie's treatment. Her arm was X-rayed and it was confirmed what Janet had already known. Cassie has suffered a fracture of the ulna and radius. Fortunately, she does not need surgery. A plaster cast is sufficient. While waiting for the doctor, Janet cools Cassie's swollen arm. The nurse has given Cassie pain pills and slowly she relaxes. Through the whole episode Janet has consoled her daughter. Cassie looks at her mother and smiles a little bit again.

"Mom, why did this man want to take Jack?" She suddenly asks with a serious expression.

Janet does not know at all what to answer. She would not even want to think about what this guy had planned with the baby. She tells her daughter that she does not have an answer.

"I'm glad Jeff got him back." Cassie almost whispers.

I'm also glad Cassie, believe me. And I hope the police will find this man so he can never do it again. The police should talk to us later, and we must tell everything we've seen. "

Cassie nods and Janet strokes her hair.  
In the waiting area of the emergency room Jeff walks steadily back and forth with Jack in his arms. The little boy still cries like he has a broken heart. So far he has not calmed down at all and he has rejected the milk bottle. After a while, one of the nurses comes to ask them if they can help. Jeff tells her the whole story and asks the woman to talk to Dr. Janet Frasier. The nurse nods and goes to the treatment room where Janet and Cassandra are still waiting. She talks briefly with Janet and promises to stay with the young patient until her mother is back.  
Cassie does not mind and tells her mother to give Jack a big kiss from her. Janet grins and sets off. Even before she opens the door to the waiting area, she can hear Jack screaming. She walks down the aisle quickly and is in the waiting area a little later. She sees her Jeff walking up and down with the screaming bundle in his arms. The man is glad to see her and hands the child to her. Janet takes the little one and tries to calm him down. Jack has screamed so much in a rage that he is completely sweaty. She grabs the screaming boy into the stroller and pushes him towards the exit.

"Let's grab some fresh air." She tells Jeff and hurries outside.

Janet believes Jack is simply exhausted and therefore over-excited. She asks Jeff to walk a little with the child outside, so he falls asleep. Jeff naturally wants to know first how Cassie is. Janet tells him that they just wait for the doctor and then Cassie will get a cast. She hopes it will not be long. Then she gives her boyfriend a long kiss, tells him that she loves him, then bends into the baby carriage to Little Jack, gives him a fat kiss on the cheek and says "Cassie sends you a big kiss sweetheart." and goes back to her daughter.

Jack's scream is still to be heard in the entrance area. She hopes that the child will soon settle down and sleep a little. 'This was so not how I had figured this day to me. It should be something special, especially for the kids. Janet thinks these words to herself and groaning, she goes back to the treatment room.

It takes quite a while before they get closer to the light source. Apparently, there is another entrance at the end of the cave. Teal'c walks up and looks closer. Sam and her father stay a few steps back. After a few minutes, the Jaffa calls his companions to him.

"Major Carter, the entrance leads into a fissure gap. I'll climb up and see where we are. "

"Be careful Teal'c," she calls after him.

As Teal'c climbs up the rock face, Samantha and her father sit down on the ground at the edge of the entrance and wait until they see Teal'c again. Jacob looks at his daughter questioningly.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I have been wondering all this time why the unit has responded to Colonel O'Neill if that's true, what Freya said. And why has it only affected him? The bright light surrounded all of us. I mean Teal'c, I can still understand that it does not work with him, he is a Jaffa and against most things somehow immune. But Daniel and I were in the same light."

"I'm glad it did not affect you. I'm really too old now to care for a baby" Jacob tells her with a grin.

"Dad! This is not funny! "

"Sorry, I know you're worried about Jack. I can't answer all your questions. But perhaps the effect does not come from the light but from the touch. That would at least explain why you were spared." suggested the Tok'ra.

"Maybe you are right. I just hope Freya / Anise and Daniel will find a hint on how to reverse it."

At that moment, they hear Teal'c's voice over the radio. He has climbed the rock and can bring a little gratifying news. From the rock on which he now stands, he can see the Stargate in the distance. With this news, they can go through the cave and get to the Stargate faster. The way will be more pleasant, at least from the temperatures. However, the only problem could be the rock wall. But the climb should not be a major obstacle for everyone on the team. The Jaffa is now on the descent on the other side and tests the way from there to the gate and can thus immediately contact the base.

"Be careful Teal'c. As soon as you get back in range, sign on." she tells the man.

Sam informs Daniel about their discovery, and then Sam and Jacob make their way back to Daniel and Freya / Anise.

The Jaffa does not have a lot of effort to climb down the rock wall and has arrived after half an hour at the foot of the rock. The gate is a tiny point on the horizon. He guesses a good hour's walk will be about right from here. The sun burns mercilessly from the blue sky and the sand is extremely hot. He even notices it through his boots. He sets off and is glad that he is in such good physical condition.  
The heat drains him and after half of the way he takes a good sip from his field bottle. The water is not exactly refreshing; its temperature has almost adapted to the outside temperature. But at least it moistened the throat. His body is tired more quickly than he thought and he drags on incessantly towards the gate. When he finally arrives there, he realizes to himself that he needed more than two hours to get there. Teal'c cannot believe it when he realizes he must take another break before he can activate the gate.

Dr. Jeff Flowers has made several rounds around the hospital to somehow sway the small Jack to sleep. The child has already shrieked hoarsely, and then, thankfully, succumbed to exhaustion. Jeff dares not to slow down the pace at all and pushes the little man further in the car through the area until he knows for sure that the child is asleep. Jack is so aggravated that he is sobbing in his sleep. After some time, the doctor decides to go back to the hospital and see his girls. Surely, they would be finished by now. He wants Janet and the kids to finally get into the car so they can go home. He is tired and knows they are. Today's events were far too much for his liking.  
When he returns to the emergency room, two policemen are waiting for him. He had forgotten that he was going to have to talk to them. Janet sits on one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area with the sleepy Cassandra on her lap and tries to make her statement as precise as possible. Unfortunately, she cannot say much. She only saw the man in the corner of her eye.  
Then Jeff must make his statement. He can describe the perpetrator quite well, but the police do not give him much hope that the man will be found. The officials also inquire about the baby. Jeff assures them that the child has not suffered any physical damage. Jack starts to squirm again in his baby carrier and the little Cassandra has slipped off to sleep on her mother's lap. After they have finished their statement, they can finally drive home. The policemen will report to them again if anything changes.  
Jeff Flowers takes Cassie from Janet and carries her to the car, while Janet pushes the baby stroller with the wailing child. Janet looks pale and tired. She is very happy when she is finally sitting in the car. Jack is now again awake and finds that he is not liking being strapped into the child seat. Janet sits down in the back seat and tries to calm Jack. Cassie is not troubled at all by any of this, the painkillers have made her drowsy and it is no time before she is back asleep. Janet looks closer at Little Jack.

"Something's wrong with him," she says suddenly.

Jeff looks questioningly in the rearview mirror.

Teal'c has now returned to the SGC and tells the general what they have found so far.

"The heat could be a problem. How long do they think they can still risk staying there? "

"I cannot exactly say General Hammond. I had trouble getting back to the gate. I would recommend leaving the planet as soon as possible. With the right equipment and enough preparation, we should make it in time. "

After the Jaffa has packed a few ropes and snap hooks and his remaining equipment, he sets off again. He wants to be back as soon as possible before the conditions on the planet get worse. Half an hour later, he steps back through the stargate. Incredible heat hits him. He pulls his hat deeper onto his forehead and takes a powerful sip from the cool fresh water in his canteen before he makes his way to the rock wall. The path through the hot sand is very cumbersome. Nevertheless, he is progressing well and is making the way this time in only one hour and thirty minutes. When he gets close enough to the cave, he tries to reach Major Carter by radio. After initial noise, the Jaffa hears the voice of Samantha Carter. He tells her the menacing situation and that she must leave from here as quickly as possible. Sam tells him, in return, of the latest discoveries Daniel and Freya have found.  
Teal'c and Sam have decided to meet at the entrance of the cave, and then they can all climb together and descend on the other side. It takes a lot of patience, and wears on Sam and Teal'c's nerves to convince Daniel and Freya that they must leave the planet. It was not until Jacob, too, interfered, did the two of them give up and sullenly gather their stuff.

"Now I know how the Colonel always feels. Daniel is sometimes really difficult." Sam whispers to her father.

They all set off on a journey through the dark passageways of the cave to the second entrance. Daniel complains all the way and finds approval from Anise, of course. Sam just bare to hear it anymore, but Daniel continues to grumble.

"I would have preferred to stay here to help the Colonel also, Daniel. But it's just too dangerous and I have the command over this mission and therefore the responsibility for all of you. And I'm not going to put anyone at risk, just to help you study this machine, Colonel O'Neill would not. After all, you recorded everything and you can also make the rest of the translation on the base. After that, we'll decide what to do then!"

All the rest of the way Daniel Jackson says nothing more.

"He seems a little offended." Jacob Carter whispers to his daughter and is happy to see that she can get through this.  
The team finally reaches the entrance to Teal'c.


	4. Chapter 4

Janet is very happy when she finally arrives at her house. She grabs the seat with Little Jack and runs into the house, while Jeff sees about the sleeping Cassandra. He carries her into the house and puts her on the couch. Lovingly he throws a blanket over her, then he follows his anxious girlfriend into the bedroom. Janet has laid the baby on the changing table and removed his clothes. The little man exhausts himself screaming on the table.

"Janet, what's going on?" The doctor asks his girlfriend.

"I suspect our Jack is in great pain," she replies, scrutinizing the crying baby thoroughly.

She takes his temperature, looks into his mouth and ears. After a short time, she shakes her head.

"Why didn't we notice this? Jeff, Jack has a middle-ear inflammation. And we did not notice it because we ... .. "

"Because today we've experienced terrible things and already had enough to fight with that, Jan. And if someone is to blame, then most likely I am. I've been with him all the time and have overlooked the symptoms, not you. You've noticed that something is wrong with him. I have shifted his restlessness to the events because he seemed so balanced and cheerful before. And I have to admit, I was just overstrained with the screaming child."

From the living room comes a tender call from Cassie to her mother. Jeff grabs Janet's arm and tells her that he will look after Cassandra and hastened to the living room. Cassie sits on the couch and rubs her tired eyes.

"Where is Mom?" She asks half whimpering.

"She is taking care of the baby. Jack is a bit sick." he tells the tired child.

Cassie's eyes are closing and Jeff puts the blanket back over the sleeping child.  
In the bedroom, Janet gives the small Jack a suppository and dresses him again. Then she holds him tightly in her arms until the drug takes its effect and the child slowly calms down. When he finally fell asleep, she gently kisses him on the warm forehead and puts him in his bed.

"I'm sorry, little darling," she whispers as she covers him lovingly.

Janet leaves the bedroom and steps into the living room to see Cassie. When she sees that the child is asleep again, she presses her a light kiss on her forehead and creeps quietly to the kitchen. There she falls into one of the chairs and rests her head on the hard table top. Jeff, who has just taken fresh coffee, turns around.

"Coffee?" He asks, smiling.

She looks up. He notices how tired she looks and it worries him.

"Oh, please, a very strong one!" Janet answers with a tired smile.

He brings her a cup to the table and sits down on the chair next to her, puts his arm around her and pulls his girlfriend close to him. They sit quietly side by side for a while. After a while, Janet finally starts talking.

"What a day! I don't even want to think about having to stand and cook but I know Cassie is hungry as are you." She moans and looks sadly towards the living room.

"We could order something to be delivered. What do you think about it? Chinese perhaps? And then we'll have a very quiet, cozy evening." he suggests.

"That sounds heavenly. Let's enjoy the silence as long as the peace still lasts." Janet says softly.  
She then looks at Jeff, grins and gives him a passionate long kiss. Jeff returns the kiss. For a good half hour, the two of them still sit arm-in-arm at the table, before Janet gets up to look in on the children again. Cassie snores quietly on the couch and Little Jack also sleeps firmly in his bed. She cautiously feels his forehead and pulls the blanket slightly higher. Then she goes back to the kitchen to Jeff, who has now ordered the food from the delivery service and is just about to set the table.

"How are our two little patients doing?" He asks.

"Both are sleeping quietly and peacefully."

When the bell rings at the front door, Cassie is awakened in alarm, rubbing her tired eyes. Janet immediately takes care of her daughter while Jeff opens the door to the delivery service.

"Hey Honey, how are you?" The worried doctor asks her daughter.

Cassandra wrists a smile and assures her mom that she is okay. Janet sees that it is not quite true, but says nothing else. She takes her brave daughter lovingly in her arms.

"Are you hungry? We ordered Chinese food." Janet askes her daughter.

Cassie looks up and sees Jeff coming to the living room, carrying cartons of Chinese food. Jeff sees that Cassie wants to eat but she doesn't want to let go of her mom either. The day's events has played havoc on the child's emotions.

"You can eat it with one arm Cassie. That's the advantage with Chinese food, it's all nicely cut. "He laughs and winks at her.

Cassie jumps up and rubs her growling stomach.

"Oh, I'm starving."

Jeff leads the way into the kitchen and Cassie looks back though just to back sure her mom is following. When they enter the kitchen, Cassie sees Jack's empty chair and becomes quite sad.

"Is Jack very sick Mom? Is that the reason why he did cry so much?" She asks worried.

"Do not worry. He has a painful earache and that´s why he cried so much. Now he is sleeping and hopefully the pain is gone." explains Janet.

The three sit comfortably together, eating their dinner, even if the mood tonight is a bit clouded. All of them are still drawn to the events of the day. After the meal, they decide to go to bed early. Cassandra lies softly cuddled in her bed and her mother reads a story to her. After she's done, Cassie wants to talk about the events in the park. She is thinking about Jack's obviously attempted abduction. What has happened to Jack and is happening to him is making Cassie very curious.

Janet tries to answer all the questions as best she can. Then her daughter says something that makes Janet's eyes tear up. She has trouble restraining her tears and tries to make her daughter aware that it is not her fault at all. Somehow, Cassie has the idea that it might be her fault that Jack was almost kidnapped.

"But if I did not want to ride, I would not have fallen and ..."

She does not come to say more because Janet interrupts her immediately.

"Cassie, that was not your fault. You must not think that at all. This was a case of unfortunate circumstances. Do you understand that? And if someone has to be blamed, then least of all you! Fortunately, everything went well and we got Jack back. I do not want you to worry about it and try to sleep now, honey. Do you promise me that? "

The child nods and says smiling "I love you mommy."

After giving Cassie a kiss and wishing her a good night, Janet stands a moment before Cassie's door and buries her face in her hands. She can't stop the tears now. Jeff sees his girlfriend as he is on his way to the bedroom and takes her into his arm. Then he leads her into the bedroom and sits down with her on the bed. Sobbing, Janet tells what Cassie told her and suddenly she is crushed by the whole burden of the day. She cries bitterly.

Jeff pulls her tightly into his arms and tries to comfort her by his closeness. After sitting there for a while, she finally calms herself and looked into the radiant blue eyes of her lover. She starts to kiss him tenderly and from the kisses it becomes quickly more. She whispers into his ear

"I need you now, I want to feel you."

It still takes a while until Teal'c reaches the cave entrance. With the help of a secured rope, he has lowered himself down the steep rock face. Completely soaked with sweat he sits for a moment on the cool ground in the cave. His remaining followers can hardly believe what the Jaffa is telling them about the prevailing conditions on the planet. They must hurry, that is clear to all and they know that if Teal'c had difficulty attempting the walk, it will not be an easy at all for the rest.

Some time passes until everyone has climbed the rope - too much time. The descent on the other side of the rock wall is a little faster and soon the team is finally on their way in the glowing heat to the stargate. After an hour or so, most of them are already physically worn out. Teal'c is noticing that everyone is becoming more and more fatigue so he calls a rest. Not seeing shade anywhere, they squat where they are to rest their legs and drink cool water. Soon they are pushed once more to start the long trek to the Star Gate.

Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter have the most to fight to keep moving. In contrast to the rest of the squad, the two have no symbiote, which can help them. Jacob tries to support his daughter as best he can, but Sam does not want to admit to her father that she is physically worn and rejects his help. After what feels like eternity, they have finally arrived at the Stargate.

Daniel can't believe it and thinks he is hallucinating. With the last of his strength, he drags himself to the DHD and enters the symbols. When the Stargate is activated, Samantha Carter suddenly loses consciousness and crashes hard to the ground. Her father shouts her name in shock and runs to her. But Teal'c gets to Sam first, picks her up and carries the unconscious woman quickly through the shimmering gate.

"Nothing to do but get away from here." Daniel muttered as Jacob helped him through the gate.

On the other side of the Gate, a medical team is already on the way through the door of the gate room. When Jacob, Daniel and Freya come through the Gate, they lay exhausted on the ramp – too tired to even move. Teal'c lays the unconscious Sam on the ramp and sits down beside her. Paramedics are already with the young woman and provide first aid, while General Hammond looks horrified to the rest of the troop.  
Jacob, finally getting on his feet starts over to his daughter wanting to be with Sam, but Freya holds him back. She talks to him and finally convinces him that he would only stand in the way of the medical personal. He sees the paramedics take his daughter away and wants to leave the gate room as soon as possible. The general, seeing the condition of everyone, orders them all to go to the infirmary for a checkup. After that, they are to report to the briefing room for a debriefing.

While Doctor Warner takes care of Major Carter in a separate room, the remaining travelers and team sit on the assigned beds in the room next door and are provided care by the nurses. Teal'c has already recovered from the hardships of the mission and he literally jumps from the bed as Doctor Warner enters the room.

Jacob immediately wants to know how his daughter is doing and makes his way straight to Doctor Warner. He asks everyone to go back to their beds and calm down.

"Major Carter has suffered from heat stroke, however after plenty of fluids and rest, she will be okay. Fortunately, she was close to the gate when she finally succumbed."

This eases both Teal'c and Jacob and they listed to the doctor when he recommends that all of them to take a lot of fluids and take some rest.

"This is especially important for you, Doctor Jackson. Since you nor Major Carter carried a symbiote, the conditions of the planet were harsher on both of you" He looks up from the Daniel's record, where the nurses had noted Daniel's vital signs earlier.

Finally, an hour later, all have their check- up and Jacob urges the doctor to allow him to see his daughter. The rest of the group goes to the conference room to report to the General. He sits in his chair at the front of the table and drums impatiently on the table. Watching him, Teal'c is suddenly reminded of his friend and it causes him to miss Jack even more.

After the remaining mission participants sit down, General Hammond takes the floor. He would like to know what they have found out. Daniel tells him about the machine and the inscription they have found. He also explains the meaning of the inscription and is not surprised by the questioning facial expressions of his superior. The general is just as confused as everyone else was.

"What does that mean? The machine can only be activated by an ancient, did I understand you correctly?" He asks again.

"That is what is written in the inscription, General Hammond." Confirms Anise.

"How is that possible? How could Colonel O'Neill activate this device at all? And have you found a way to undo the damage that has been done?"

"We have not finished the translation yet, General, but we will work on it as soon as possible. But even if we have the solution, what then? Under the conditions of the planet, we cannot return there. Sam would have almost lost her life. And the hardships to an infant would be madness."

"Dr. Fraiser would never allow it anyway. There has to be another way. Dr. Jackson, you and Anise work on that translation and let me know the minute you get something."

"Speaking of Colonel O'Neill, have you heard something from Dr. Frazier, General?" Asks Teal'c.

"Doctor Fraiser called me from the emergency room of the hospital."

Immediately, restlessness prevails and everyone looks worried and begins talking all at one time, no one being able to understand anything the General may be trying to say. Finally, his patience wears out.

"Silence!" Cries the general.

"The baby is doing well! It is Cassandra who has hurt herself. She broke an arm in the amusement park. However, while the attention was on Cassandra, someone attempted to kidnap the baby. The perpetrator used the excitement of Cassandra's accident and took the child. Fortunately, the perpetrator did not manage to flee very far with the child. Still, it was a shock for all and certainly not a good day for Dr. Frasier." The General reports, his tone very solemn.

"Is Cassandra doing well?" Asks the terrified archaeologist.

"Doctor Fraiser assured me that we do not have to worry about Cassandra or Jack."

"Do you think it was coincidence that someone wanted to abduct O'Neill, General?" Comes the question of the always seemingly emotionless Jaffa, although those closest to him knew he too was as worried as they were.

"I'm not sure Teal'c. Of course, I had the duty to pass on the whole story and that I did. So, I cannot be sure if the information has gotten into the wrong hands. I pray it did not for the child's sake. Now, we should assume that it was simply a foolish coincidence. "

Daniel gives a dissatisfied snort, which of course does not escape the General.

"I am quite worried, Dr. Jackson, but we should keep calm. I want you to use the rest of the weekend and get some rest. Major Carter is out of duty anyway. For our guests, I have had quarters prepared. See you on Monday morning after a long weekend of rest and relaxation."

Daniel starts to object, but the general stops him before he can get the words out.

"That is an order!"

Daniel and Anise do not even think about the General's command as they sit in his office, after a long boring weekend of rest - devoting more time to the translation. Sitting there going through rows of old books, which Freya / Anise have brought with them, they begin to feel it is hopeless. Suddenly Daniel rubs his tired eyes and slams his book shut loudly.

"We did not get any further," he snaps, frustrated. Anise looks at him in astonishment.

"Break?"

"Break!" Daniel groans and pours himself a fresh, hot coffee.

Meanwhile in the infirmary, Jacob Carter has been sitting on the bed of his daughter since the return to earth, holding her hand. Sam's face is sunburned and she looks very exhausted. She is sleeping deeply and firmly since her collapse. Jacob does not even notice that his friend George has approached and looked surprised as he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"How is she?" The general asks amiably.

"She is sleeping, Dr. Warner says she will quickly get back on her feet with enough rest. I'll probably have to tie her to bed to achieve that."

Jokes the worried father to his friend. George Hammond cannot help laughing.

"That's possible."

Jacob rises from his chair and pulls his friend to the side, away from listening ears.

"She is so worried about Jack. I think she would do anything to help him, even if it could cost her life." he whispers.

"Yes, I know Jacob. That would be done by all the members of this team. They're all very close together and that's what makes the team stand out."

"Maybe a little too close, if you ask me." It slips out of the Tok'ra.

"What do you mean?" Asks General Hammond, puzzled.

"Oh, nothing, forget it." Replied Jacob but the General could see that the comment was well thought out.

"We shouldn't give her the news I received from Dr. Frasier yet."

"What happened?" Jacob wants to know immediately.

George tells his friend about the events in the park and the possibility that it might not be a coincidence.

"But why would anyone be interested in kidnapping that child? What do they want with the baby?"

"Jacob, we're talking about Jack O'Neill. I know a lot of people who are interested in the disappearance of the man forever. And that would be a good opportunity to get rid of him. If he were no longer in our hands, then we could not help him either. You understand?"

"Oh God! How unscrupulous can people be? Any idea, who is behind it?"

"For now, it is only a thought, Jacob, but we should not forget it nor let anyone out of our own people know we feel this way. People do not like it when we make wild guesses. I did not express my assumption with Dr. Frasier, I did not want to disturb her, the day was already bad enough for her and for the children. However, for security reasons, I have ensured her that security officers are nearby, quite inconspicuous."

"Then you are correct, my friend. I'm not going to tell Sam anything about that. She needs rest."

The General assures his friend that he will immediately notify him if he has new knowledge. Under these circumstances, he wants to use his weekend as well to keep his eyes open.

Meanwhile, Daniel and Anise are still sitting in his office and pondering over the inscriptions they have found on the machine.

"The mind is stronger than the genes," Daniel suddenly says aloud.

Anise looks at him questioningly.

"That is the meaning of this line," he explains, pointing to one of the pictures she took from the inscriptions.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I have no idea," groans Daniel.

Janet and Jeff lie arm in arm in bed, love shining from one to the other. Jeff kisses his entangled lover intimately and caresses her, stroking her hair. She squeezes him tightly and just enjoys his warmth. At that moment, Little Jack becomes restless in his bed and Janet raises her head to look for him. Jeff kisses her neck neatly. Janet giggles.

"Leave it, you'll never get up quick enough." He tells her.

Janet just wants to get up to see the little one as Jeff pulls her back and rolls onto her. Smiling, he leans over her and kisses her extensively before he swings out of bed. He picks the whimpering baby up into his arms.

"His fever has risen, Janet. Yes, you do not feel very good, I know. Come, we'll go to Janet."

He hands over the feverish child to his girlfriend and wants to go to the kitchen to get the baby a bottle of milk when Janet stops him.

"Jeff, stop! You should wear something." Janet grins

She throws his underwear to her lover, laughing and quickly takes her own underwear and puts them on. She does not want Cassie by chance to see her naked friend. You never know when a child may roam out of bed.

Jeff grins at her and sets off while Janet takes care of the little one. Jack looks at her with his fever-troubled brown eyes. They are already slipping closed again. Janet rocks him in her arms until Jeff is back. He has prepared a milk bottle for the child. He must be hungry; the last meal is long ago. When Janet gives him the bottle, Jack turns his head away and refuses the food even after several attempts. Jeff gives her the bottle with the warm tea.

"He must at least drink something."

After some back and forth, the baby takes at least a few sips of tea and is asleep in Janet's arms again. She pushes him to her body and gently strokes his hair.  
Jeff sees her delightful look as Little Jack smiles in half sleep.

"You'd like another child?" He asks.

Janet looks at him blushing.

"I've often thought about it, is it so obvious? But that does not mean I want to have one now, do not worry."

Jeff kisses her on the forehead.

"I love children Janet, you know that. And maybe we are meant for each other and will have one together. Who knows! You're a great woman and a great mother!"

"You are a flatterer! I love you"

Both lie cuddled close together and watch the sleeping child for a while before putting him back into his own bed. Exhausted by the hardships of the day, both finally succumb to sleep.

In the SGC, General Hammond sits at his desk and has been telephoning some of his contacts for quite some time to find out what they may know about what happened in the amusement park. But so far unfortunately his calls are without success. After completing the last unsuccessful conversation, he decides to end today and go home


End file.
